


Push and Pull

by NinPotato



Series: Consumption [4]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Breakfast in Bed, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nervous Will Graham, Pining, Post-Episode: s03e13 The Wrath of the Lamb, Resolved Romantic Tension, Romantic Fluff, Sharing a Bed, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Vulnerable Will Graham, s4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29271012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NinPotato/pseuds/NinPotato
Summary: Their first kiss is accidental - Hannibal was just very pleased at his return and what better way was there to express it?
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Series: Consumption [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1997611
Comments: 4
Kudos: 82





	Push and Pull

**Author's Note:**

> Before anyone asks, yes I am still planning to update Undying Compassion. I just had to finish Ouroboros chapter 6 and couldn't resist this soft idea I had at 2AM. Please be patient with me!

Their first kiss is accidental - Hannibal was just very pleased at his return and what better way was there to express it? He spends a day tending to Will's every need without asking anything of him. Will assumes it to be a sort of apology, for making things awkward. He regrets not having returned the impromptu kiss, but he was too shocked to react at the time. He tries to let Hannibal know he's open for more, but the man can't seem to catch on. He steps into Hannibal's personal space whenever possible, holds eye contact all the while, reaches for his hand. Hannibal smiles, squeezes his hand but doesn't make a move, never initiates. Will is beyond frustrated.

He knows it's all up to him. He knows he needs to be the one to make the first move. Only, something about it just doesn't feel right. In all of their games and tribulations, Hannibal was the beginning. Hannibal was the ending. Will only ever responded, was never himself the instigator. If he had responded then it would have been perfect. Tit for tat, even Steven. He's waited too long now, doesn't want to ruin the balance.

It's still like a dream after all these months; living with Hannibal in their little countryside cottage. It's not the kind of home Will could ever see Hannibal living in. Not by himself. Every morning Will wakes up to the smell of Hannibal's cooking. Every evening he bids Hannibal a good night. They head to their separate rooms and Will tells himself it's just a dream. Don't get attached. Don't get used to it. Don't get comfortable. Don't expect Hannibal to be there every morning. If he makes a move, the dream will be disrupted. He doesn't know what it's like to act first; his unconscious mind won't be able to produce such an image. He'll wake up.

Months go by in much the same fashion. Hannibal is always touching him, but never in a way he hasn't before. Will has grown used to it. Despite his own warnings, he's grown used to it. He's grown used to the smell of breakfast wafting into his room through the cracks in the door and the vent in the floor. He's used to the small touches as they say good night, hesitating in the hallway before they pull apart. He dreams within the dream; dreams it'll all be taken away. They'll wake up in separate cells, in separate prisons miles apart. None of it was real; just a shared dream. A shared mind palace created out of necessity. Somewhere they could live and love and be free. But they aren't free. They're being held back-holding themselves back out of fear. Neither dares take things too far. Old territory is safe territory.

Will is used to it by now; the way Hannibal throws everything down at his feet. Still, he did not expect this. He never expected to see the smallest, whitest teacup Pomeranian waiting for him at the base of the stairs. He's never thought, never dared to ask, but the dog is real. It's soft and warm, reflecting Will's feelings upon seeing it. Still, Hannibal attempts nothing out of the ordinary: a smile, an explanation, a warm hand on his shoulder. No kiss, no lover's embrace. They bid each other a good night as usual, but there is no touching this evening; not between them. Will's hands are occupied with a squirming ball of fur. Hannibal scratches Dixie behind the ears, bidding her a good night as well. He turns to his room, unaware just how powerful the action was in Will's eyes.

That night, Will lies awake. Hannibal's presence across the hallway is a beacon unlike any other. It calls for him incessantly, allowing him no rest. He waits an hour, then two hours, before he can no longer resist its call. He moves silently, not wanting to wake Hannibal nor Dixie if possible. The doors creak ever so slightly but all else is still in the night. The sight of Hannibal's sleeping form-dark as it is-comes as a shock. He knows Hannibal sleeps. The man is only human but it's surprising all the same. It's not something Will expected to see within this dream. It's not something he thought he wanted to see. He creeps closer, curious but unwilling to waken the sleeping beast. He pulls back the covers, slips underneath them as carefully as he can. When Hannibal doesn't awaken, he shuffles closer. Presses himself up against his back to feel his warmth. Hannibal does stir then, roused from sleep by the contact. Will holds his breath as he turns to face him with sleep-addled curiosity.

"Will? Is something the matter?" He mumbles, uncertain.

Will says nothing. He breathes slowly, quietly, waiting for Hannibal's move. It doesn't come. Hannibal merely sighs softly and returns to his previous position. Will lies there in disbelief until he too falls asleep.

He's disappointed to notice that Hannibal is gone in the morning. He's certain at first that the dream has ended somehow, but then he smells the telltale sign of Hannibal's presence in the kitchen. He's still tired, and the bed smells like Hannibal, so he doesn't bother getting up. He continues dozing until Hannibal returns, carrying a tray of some heavily adorned pancakes, eggs benedict, and various fruits. The bed dips where he chooses to sit on the end of it, balancing the tray on his knees.

"You should eat," he says.

Will grumbles incoherently but throws the covers back and sits up, treacherous stomach hijacking control of his body. "Thanks."

He means to reach for a strawberry, but Hannibal picks it up for him, presses it against his lips. They stare at each other for a moment, neither daring to look away. Eventually, Will takes the strawberry. Hannibal's fingers linger against his lips. The touch ignites something powerful in his belly, something he can no longer ignore.

"Would you like to talk about last night?" Hannibal asks as he reaches for another strawberry, dipping it in a mysterious liquid.

Will grabs his wrist, holding it suspended over the tray. "Less talking," he says, wetting his lips, "More action."

He pulls Hannibal in as he pushes forward, pressing their mouths together with determination he didn't realize he had. Hannibal drops the tray onto the ground, Will realizes from the sudden clattering, as he returns the kiss with fervor.

It lies there forgotten until the evening.

**Author's Note:**

> You can get these updates earlier (as well as art) if you follow me on:
> 
> ninpotato.tumblr.com  
> twitter.com/ninpotato1 [NSFW]  
> instagram.com/ninpotato [Art only]


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